Woman Put Your Weapon Down
by zombiemuffin69
Summary: Brennan had never wished for a safe haven more than she did in this moment. With bigotry and hatred following her across the country, it would only be her luck that she would break down in Finley, Washington. And only her luck would have the wolves at her heels without her knowledge.
1. My Baby Is A Rebel

The night concealed Brennan as she walked down the residential neighborhood, bundled up in her tattered jacket. She could no longer feel her toes and her muscles were sore from pointlessly trying to contain her incessant shivering. Ahead, Brennan could see the incandescent glow of a gas station and she mentally sighed in relief. She had been walking for nearly 2 hours, trying to find somewhere with a payphone. Her clunker of a car had decided that it was empty; Brennan never knew when her car was empty since the censor broke somewhere in Nevada. Apparently fate has decided Finley, Washington is where she is to find her safe haven, and after Brennan's journey, she is just relieved to find somewhere she might not have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Her feet began to drag and her legs began to cramp just as her sneaker-clad feet shifted from tar to cement.

"Thank god," Brennan muttered as she pushed open the door to the heated oasis. Her nose, fingers, and toes tingled as the cold dispelled and the heat washed over her. Her eyes shifted to the side and landed on a slender man, but she could easily make out the muscles under his black tee-shirt and faded jeans. His feet were propped up on the counter and his face was hidden behind a local newspaper. The oscillating fan behind him pointed towards her and brought a scent that startled her, a scent that was not human.

Her voice quivered as she meekly asked where the restrooms were. He never dropped the paper and answered gruffly, "Back left of the store, ma'am." A hint of his southern accent slipped through, and calmed Brennan enough that she was able to walk to the bathroom instead of running.

Inside the women's restroom, Brennan was able to breathe through whatever anxiety she was feeling and slow her heart rate. She splashed the cool tap water over her face and on the back of her neck. She was absolutely shocked to already find someone inhuman. Being half fae gave her a bit more active instincts, and the past week has taught her to trust them. She couldn't quite tell what he was, and she didn't have much experience around fae to decide, but she did know that he wasn't exactly like her. Was he a full fae or is there something else her mother left out? The questions ran through her head and caused her anxiety to creep back up on her. She repeated her process from earlier before she walked back out to the front of the store.

She wandered the store before she located the payphone, and quickly inserted her quarters and dialed the first tow truck company she came across. The conversation wasn't too long, but it did last long enough for her to feel like the clerk was staring. After giving all the pertinent information to the tow company, Brennan grabbed a soda and a random candy bar before walking to the front. She might as well buy something now, while she is waiting for the tow truck to pick her up.

"Is that all?" the clerk, Warren according to his name tag, asked. Brennan nodded and pulled out a few bills from her back pocket.

"Stranded?" Warren prodded, hoping to gather any information from this woman to give back to Mercy and Zee. It is not often that a half fae walks into the Stop and Rob, and certainly not one that smelt like Tad. He let his southern accent slip through as he tried to sound laid-back. It seemed to work as he noticed her shoulders relax and her eye widen from the barely noticeable glare.

"Just a bit, but I have it covered," Brennan answered, trying to keep the fear out of her voice and unconsciously letting her own southern accent out. The consequences of being raised in Texas is whenever you hear one, your accent always shows.

"Are you from the south also?" Warren questioned, still trying to gather whatever information that he could.  
Brennan's eyes narrowed once again, and simply answered, "Yes, Texas," before walking outside to wait for the tow truck. After a considerable wait, with most of it trying to slyly stay out of eyesight of the clerk inside, the tow truck showed up and took Brennan to her car and onward to the cheapest motel.

The motel was exactly what she paid for – cheap. The walls were dingy and held the smell of thirty years of visitors. Fortunately the bedding seemed to be relatively clean, which was enough for Brennan. She lugged the few bags that she had in her car inside and proceeded to go take a long hot shower, stripping off her clothes as she went. After coming out refreshed, or as clean as you could get from that shower, Brennan pulled out her old laptop and set it up on the small table by the window. After searching for a while, she managed to find her phone cable to plug into the old-looking dial-up jack. The news was playing in the background on a 1980s, wooden paneled TV set, and the heater was rattling as it tried to keep the chill away. Brennan took a small break from searching for a job online to stare outside. She was finally alone and the paranoia was inching away, leaving her with her thoughts for the night.

The next day, Brennan was up at the break of dawn, and walked to the nearest gas station to purchase a gas can and some fuel. The next few hours were spent searching for any type of employment. By mid-afternoon, she was running out of options and presumably on gas. Her last stop before heading back to the motel was a small mom-and-pop diner right next the Kennewick hospital. A sign in the window proclaimed "Help Wanted" and she was desperate. The smell of grease and coffee wafted into her face when she opened the door and she was greeted by a kind face.

"Good afternoon, just one?" The woman asked, her wrinkles more evident when she smiled.

"Uh sure," Brennan answered, sitting at a small booth. "May I have glass of water and some pancakes, please?" Her southern manners came out without hesitation. She knew most northerners were uneasy with it, believing that she was just being pretentious.

"Yeah, sure. Anything else?" The woman took it better than most, and didn't make a snide remark, which left Brennan grateful. She asked for a application and waited while the woman went to get it.

"Here you go. Just hand it back to me when you're done and I'll see about getting you an interview with the bossman." The woman, Victoria as her tag on her black apron proclaimed, placed the paper down, along with a pen, pancakes and a fork. Brennan smiled her gratitude and began to work, ignoring the stack of fluffy goodness not even six inches away.

Brennan may have fibbed on a few things on the application, but hopefully her eagerness to work would bode well for her. She handed Victoria the papers back and dug into her food, hoping to eat away her worries. Not even 10 minutes later, a stocky man in tan trousers and black tee-shirt with the logo of the diner walked up to her table. He introduced himself as Jack, the manager and son of the owner. He sat down and began a long interview, full of boring, pointless questions. It wasn't until the end that Brennan really hit a snag.

"Well, Ms. Boone, I see you had a few years of experience back in your teens at your local diner in Texas. Everything seems to be good, but it looks like you left the Fae Identifier unchecked. For legal reasons we must have that, so could you just mark it as Not Applicable and we can get you started in training." Jack slid the paper across the table along with a pen from is pocket. Brennan hesitated, knowing that it was either eat for the week and be "human" or she can be honest and be without a job. She stared at the page for a few seconds before gabbing the pen and marking the box that stated "N/A."

"Great, Brennan, let's go ahead and file the paperwork and get you an apron. We want you working as quickly as possible."

"Sure thing," Brennan stated as she climbed out of the booth. Before Jack could turn away, she grabbed his arm and his attention. "Thank you, Jack. This really means a lot."

"Its no problem, Brennan, I'm sure you'll make me proud." He said with a small smile.

Maybe this would be easier than Brennan thought. Maybe she could find peace and safety in the world. She could finally quit running from her past, and set herself up in the background. All she wanted was to just live, nothing too crazy or extravagant. Brennan just wanted to make it to next week. She glanced around her new job for a brief second, noticing the fading laminate flooring and the aged walls. Very few updates had been made to bring it from the late seventies to the early 2000s,but she could tell most of the seats had been reupholstered and the wall-hangings were new-ish. Whatever it looked like didn't matter to her, all that mattered was that she would be walking out with some form of money and wouldn't be fired within the first week. As she followed Jack to the back office, the bell above the door chimed. Brennan didn't know why her eyes immediately went to the door, be it paranoia or something other-worldly, but she did and her breathe caught in her throat. The man was tall, much taller than her own meager five-foot-four stature. His body was muscled, and taut. His scrubs were pulled tightly over his chest and arms to the point that she fear for the poor thread holding it together. His skin was smooth and had a slight sun-kissed glow, his face was beautiful in its own way. It didn't look like it went together, but because of that it was perfect. His hair was shaggy and a rich brown. He smiled at Victoria as she greeted him like an old friend, apparently he came in often.

"Come on in, Brennan," Jack said, pulling her attention from the man at the door and back to himself.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Brennan apologized, and walked in, but the man never left her thoughts and she had to force herself through the paper work and small talk. By the time she walked out, he was already gone.


	2. Between Her Hungry Trigger

Samuel

Samuel could not keep focused for most of the night at work, it was too close to the full moon and he was itching for a hunt. Adam had briefed the wolves this morning after Mercy had Zee check out the mysterious fae that Warren had encountered. Zee said that no fae in Walla Walla fit the description of the lady, putting all the wolves on watch until he said she had made herself known. Samuel did not take well to orders from Adam, his wolf bristled at being told what to do by such a young wolf, but if it worried the old Gremlin, he would suffer through it.

His shift was coming to an end, and his stomach was eating itself from hunger. It took more energy to hold his other half at bay when he was working than he was used to. Samuel clocked out a bit early after checking on his patients, and walked down to the near by diner, Albert's. The smell of frying bacon and stale coffee assaulted his nose and he smiled. Victoria sat him in a booth near the back corner, his usual spot, and brought him his much needed coffee. As he sat checking his emails on his smartphone, he noticed a sharp scent, fresh but fading fast. It smelt of desperation, relief, and the zing of metal. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Tad bad been there only a few minutes ago. But he did know better, Tad was in college, across the country. His wolf jolted awake at the thought of the curious fae having showed up on his territory and preened at a chance to hunt. But Samuel knew the repercussions of startling his prey could be disastrous. He sat, pondering what his next move would be; he knew he needed more information, he needed to know what her next move would be. After a few minutes of contemplation, Samuel threw a few bills down on the table for his coffee and left, hoping to pick up the trail before it became cold.

Brennan

The drive back to the motel was bittersweet for Brennan. She was plagued with thoughts of the man and could not revel in the relief of finding steady work. When she walked back into the stale room, she forced herself to forget him and relax since she had much to do tomorrow. Hoping to enjoy the night since it was a bit warmer than the night before, Brennan changed from her frilly blouse and into a much more comfortable tee-shirt. She locked the door and went on a search for something more sustaining than pancakes. Brennan vaguely remembered a fast food restaurant a few blocks over began in the direction. The walk did not do much to quell her thoughts and paranoia and she could feel the familiar panic of being hunted. Her pace quickened, as she glanced around, looking for the tell-tell signs of her normal pursuers. She didn't see any of the usual suspects, but that didn't easy her worries. It didn't take long for her to reach the restaurant at her speed, and she was quite thankful for that. As she opened the door, she glanced behind her out of habit. The parking lot was relatively empty, but she still felt a presence. As she turned around to walk in, she swore she saw a flash of white. Brennan chalked it up to stress and lack of sleep, or at least that is what she was going to convince herself it was.

The walk back was just as stressful but Brennan made it back alive. With a full belly and a bit of stress removed, she allowed herself to relax. Sprawled across the bed, Brennan closed her eyes, hoping to release some anxiety. With her sense of sight temporarily removed, her other senses increased. She let herself get lost in the sounds of running water from next door and the cricket outside her door. She was jolted out of her peace when the heater kicked on and started to rattle incessantly. Her fingers twitched in annoyance and her shoulders tightened. Five minutes of the ruckus and Brennan could not handle it anymore. She launched off the bed and stomped to the unit, a look of pure frustration plastered to her face. With a strained ear, she located the persistent clattering and placed her hand over it, palm down. With her eyes closed, she flexed her hand, imagining a small thread that connected her hand to the machine, weaving between the cracks until it attached to the loose screw. She slowly twisted her hand, willing the thread to do the same. With a bit of force, Brennan managed to tighten the screw just enough to stop it from shaking with the vibrations. When she opened her eyes, nothing had changed but she still felt the the goosebumps rise on her arms and down her back from the magic. She stood from her crouch and ran her wrist over her forehead, it was damp with sweat. She had forced a bit more than she used to, but she was getting better with her metal-bending.

Samuel

He had changed to his wolf in the darkness behind the diner, his nose was better when he was on four feet. Thankfully it was easier since the moon was almost to her peak and he was about to start a hunt. He trotted through the shadows with his nose to the ground looking for anything to find his mystery fae. He did not need to go far. In the parking lot sat an old car in the far back corner. It was drenched in the woman's scent. _She must be near_, Samuel thought as he stalked around the car, committing her scent to memory. His ears perked up at the shrill chime of the door. He backed himself into the shadows of the near by buildings, but still caught a glimpse of the fae. She was a fragile looking woman, barely reaching his shoulders as a man. Her hair was a deep auburn brown from what he could see under her knitted hat. Her skin was pale and glowed under the light of the moon. She had a slim figure, but he could easily make out her womanly curves. She curled into herself, hoping to brave the relentless wind. He watched her as she climbed into her car and drove away. Samuel breathed in deeply, enjoying the rush of a hunt before he took off after her, letting himself glide from shadow to shadow using skills and a bit of magic to conceal himself from onlookers and his prey.

After a few miles, the car pulled into one of Finley's less desirable motels. Samuel hid himself across the abandoned parking lot in one of the few patches of brush. He settled in, thinking it would be a long night of babysitting. Adam wouldn't be too happy with Samuel if he left her to her own devices and didn't keep an eye out. On any other day, he would be happy to irritate the young wolf, but this was important plus his wolf wanted a bit of fun "hunting." It wasn't long before she was back out, this time on foot. The wolf preened at her mistake, thinking she was naive to not use the one thing that could out run them. He followed behind her, careful to avoid her watchful eye. _She's an attentive one,___Samuel's wolf noticed. He watched as she walked near one of those awful greasy fast food joints, and the doctor in him couldn't help but cringe. During his internal rant of the long-term damage to her health, he failed to notice her turning around. His wolf jumped into control, throwing them into the darkness once again before giving Samuel control again. Samuel studied her reaction, looking for any shock or fear. He relaxed when she turned back around. His wolf let the man know of his irritation of nearly being caught. Samuel ignored him and continued to wait for his prey.

Samuel kept a longer distance between the fae and himself since he knew where she would be sleeping that night. She vanished into her room and he settled himself a bit closer to her door, choosing to lay low under her car. He could easily hear her shuffle across the room and settle onto the bed. He was lulled into a light slumber by her calm breathing, but was jolted awake when the heater jumped to life. After a few moments, the bed squeaked with sudden movement and Samuel's head cocked in confusion. He waited until suddenly his nose scrunched under the zing of magic rolling from her room. The heater no longer rattled. He was shocked. He never heard of a female Gremlin. Certainly not a half-fae that could bend metal to their will. Samuel took one last look at the door before backing out from under the car. He needed to get a hold of Zee, and if he didn't have the answers her was looking for, then he would call his Da.

This had become an interesting hunt. One that Samuel couldn't wait to pursue. He was, after all, a patient hunter.


	3. I Howl When We're Apart

"_If only you could see the beast you've made of me_

_I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_

_Screaming in the dark, I howl when we're apart_

_Drag my teeth across your chest to taste your beating heart"_

_-'Howl'_

_Florence and the Machines_

Brennan

Her training had gone well, Brennan only broke two plates. She was getting the hang of it once again, creating her own beat. It felt nice to be working again, getting back into a routine. These past few weeks were confusing and harsh, but working was a refuge. The structure of having a place to be at a certain time for a set amount of time was comforting. She didn't realize how much she missed this structure, it felt normal and she desperately craved normalcy. The night went on, many faces passing through, all moving through their normal lives. A bit of envy bubbled up in her chest. In that instant, Brennan swore to herself that she would one day have that, and she'd be damned if she broke a promise.

It was late, pushing well into the morning and towards the end of her first night shift. Brennan's feet were blissfully numb and she knew she would sleep easy that night. The bell chimed and out of habit she greeted whoever walked through. It was the man from the night before. He was back and he immediately laid his eyes on her. Again, her breath hitched at the sight of him. How can one man do this to her, make her feel as if the world melted away. She raised her eyes to meet his and her heart stopped. The feeling of being hunted came back, and Brennan didn't know what to do. Her immediate reaction was to run, leave town and never come back. But she was frozen in fear, unable to move. Thankfully, Victoria saved her and snapped her out of her panic before it became worse.

"Hey Samuel, the usual?" Victoria asked as she guided him to a seat in the back corner of the diner.

"Yeah, please." Samuel answered. His voice was smooth and his accent was peculiar – she couldn't pick on specific place that it would have come from. Victoria nodded and walked towards the kitchen to make his 'usual' drink. As she passed Brennan, she grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

"Get a coffee, black, no sugar." She ordered as she busied herself with filling salt shakers. Brennan vaguely nodded and went about preparing his beverage. "So," Victoria continued, "what do you think of the good doctor?"

Brennan turned her head to the side, hiding her blush and confusion, as she replied, "oh, he looks nice."

"Oh honey, he is more than just nice. Fine, gorgeous, hot and sexy are the words you use to describe Samuel." Victoria countered with a wink. "Now, go take him his coffee."

She walked into the back office before Brennan could protest. Her brain was going haywire, her instincts were to run, but she promised herself that she would have some semblance of a normal life. With a sigh and an adjustment of her apron, she grabbed the coffee and some napkins before walking out to his table.

"Here you go." She muttered with a forced smile. She set the cup down and was thankful that she did not spill any since her hands were shaking so much. He nodded his head in thanks before turning back to the menu. Without looking up, he asked, "Are you new?" Brennan let out an awkward laugh before nodding, "Uh yeah, first day and all." He laughed with her before ordering, "I would like pancakes and double bacon," he began. Brennan was shocked still when he continued, "also the t-bone steak and eggs with white toast and hash browns, and some waffles." She blinked, baffled that one man could eat such a large amount of food. _Where does it all go? He doesn't have an ounce of fat on him._ She thought as she wrote down his order. He chuckled at her shock, he couldn't help it, it's not uncommon for people to be overwhelmed with the amount of food he can consume. She blushed at his sly grin, and scampered off to put his order in to the kitchen. She embarrassed herself in front of a gorgeous man, one who intimidated her and excited her all at the same time. She busied herself until his order was ready. When she served his good, it took more than one trip. Brennan was exasperated by the time she was done and was relieved to only have Samuel to serve.

After a few minutes, she peeked out to the dining area. He was still there, with his nose buried in his phone and shoveling food into his mouth with the other hand. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle under her breath, barely noticeable to even herself. His head snapped in her direction, with a goofy smile still attached to his mouth. She threw herself behind the wall, hoping he didn't catch her staring. She counted to ten before glancing back around. He immediately caught her eyes, still with a grin on his face. She wasn't sure why but she didn't break the stare. His eyes seemed to harden and changed from a sky blue to the crisp snow that she wished for when she was a kid in Texas. The feeling of being hunted was back, she felt as if she was prey once again. She blinked and turned, booking it towards the back. She ran into Victoria, her heart hammering.

"Bren, whats wrong?" Victoria asked, startled by her sudden appearance. "Talk to me, honey, tell me whats up?"

Brennan's mouth went dry, her throat constricted from the familiar symptoms of a mild panic attack. The fear must have shown in her eyes because Victoria immediately threw down whatever was in her hands and gripped Brennan's upper arms. The contact woke her up out of her trance.

"C-Can you cover for me? I...I just need to go." Brennan stuttered while untying her apron. Before she could finish her barely comprehensible sentence, Victoria was nodding and grabbed her apron from her. Brennan muttered out a thanks and left from the back doors.

Samuel

He was on the edge, gripping control by mere threads. It took every ounce of restraint to not chase her down when she fled. Samuel could smell her fear and panic, and it only enticed the wolf. He kept his eyes down, avoiding all other life forms. Anything could easily set him off, and his Da would not be happy with a room full of shocked humans if he changed. Victoria came to his table, unconsciously baring her neck to him. For a moment, he didn't catch what she said beyond the grinding of his teeth and the creak of the table.

"Samuel, do you want your check?"

He grunted out a barely audible "yes." He could smell the remnants of the fae's fear and his wolf jumped to the surface. Victoria scurried off to the back room. Samuel felt a bit of guilt, so he left a generous tip along with the money to cover his food before he left. It took all his power not to follow the clear trail. He nearly ran to his car, knowing he needed to put as much space between him and his hunt before he did something he would regret. The drive home was difficult to say the lest, he nearly broke the steering wheel a few times.

He parked next the old Rabbit and just sat in his Mercedes. He was afraid if he moved, he would still smell the fear and be off again. Mercy must have at Adam's because no lights were on in the trailer. He went inside and immediately took a shower, hoping to just wash himself clean of the past hour. Mercy still wasn't back when he got out, so he dressed himself and began the trek over to Adam's mansion. He didn't bother knocking when he walked in, they would already know that he was coming well before he reached the fence line. Most of the back were gone or asleep throughout the house, but he could make out the sound of fingers moving across a keyboard in the dining room, and Mercy and Adam talking quietly on the back porch. Samuel wasn't ready to face Adam and his questions, so he sought out whoever was on the computer, probably Ben the pack's IT man. He walked into the dining room where ben had set up his laptop and a fancy looking printer.

"Hey Sam." Ben mumbled still deep into whatever he was researching.

"Ben," Samuel greeted as he sat at the table, "what's going on?"

Ben looked up at his question, but his head snapped back down when he saw Samuel's face. "Uh, just researching that fae. Trying to get whatever I can through whatever means." Ben answered quickly, still typing away. The news got Samuel's attention, and he asked, "What you got?"

Ben hesitated, but figured telling Samuel would do no harm and if Adam disagreed he would stop him before he could give out any vital information. "Well, her name is Brennan Boone, according to University of Texas' records. She majored in engineering and mechanics. Nothing abnormal comes up for most of her life up until about 3 weeks ago. There are multiple reports of someone stalking her but nothing too alerting. Then, suddenly, she dropped out of school, quit her job and disappeared. She showed up a few times in the southwest with credit card charges and one speeding ticket. It looks like she's running, but I can't find anything that caused it. Her life was fairly normal, minus the stalking but that could be some love stuck college boy."

"What about family?" Samuel inquired.

"I can't find anything, it's as if she's been alone, but then her being half fae, maybe her parents were in hiding. I don't know." Ben rambled, thinking while typing.

Samuel sat, confused and silent. He didn't even react when Adam stomped into the dining room after over hearing Ben. They were quietly talking on the other side of the room. Mercy was standing in the corner beside but her eyes were on Samuel. She could smell his emotions and patted Adam's thigh to get his attention. "What's going on Samuel?" He questioned.

Samuel stiffened at his tone and lifted his eyes to meet Adam's. His wolf wanted to assert his dominance over someone since he couldn't do what he wanted to do, which was hunt down the enticing Brennan Boone. He could feel his wolf peek out through his human eyes. Adam must have noticed too because he stood a little straighter and took an unconscious step in front of Mercy. The movement snapped Samuel out of it and he blinked before turning his head, not in submission but in indifference.

"I found her at the diner near the hospital. I guess she has a job there or something. I followed her back to that horrible motel on main in Finley and stood watch for a while," Samuel explained. He hesitated, unsure if he should say anymore. This was his hunt, no one else's. \

"Why did you tell me?" Adam challenged, borderline angry. Samuel snapped his head back to Adam. "Because you are not my alpha." he growled. His temper was shorter than usual, but he rarely reacts like this. He had to force himself from physically snapping his teeth at Adam.

"Is there anything else?" Mercy intervened before there was bloodshed. The last thing she needed was two fighting wolves and an unknown fae. Samuel stared blankly at Mercy before mutely shaking his head. He abruptly and exited the mansion.

Samuel had a lot to think about and a few phone calls to make. He whipped out his cellphone after climbing over the fence. He scrolled down his contact list until he came across the number he was searching for. The phone rang once before he heard the click of someone accepting the call. He didn't wait for a greeting.

"What do you know about halfling faes, Da?"

_Sorry about such a long wait, I have been on vacation and in the hospital... all in the same week. Its been hell and a half to fight off the drug induced haze these past few days and I finally managed to finish this chapter. (you can thank TheWerewolfHeadmistress for damn near beating me to finish) _

_On a different note, I have been meaning to make a few points as to the timeline/world of this store (and make my disclaimer)_

_-This is set between Iron Kissed and Bone Crossed, Im unsure if I will venture much further out. _

_-As for my character Brennan, I am taking a bit of creative leeway with her and her powers. But that will play out in the next chapter. _

_-Of course, if you recognize it, it probably isnt mine. All other credits go to Patricia Briggs and her brilliant mind. _

_I know most readers dont like plugging, but my best friend/beta/soundboard(TheWerewolfHeadmistress) is writing two marvelous stories(with a character in one based off of me!). One is Alpha and Omega and the other is a Southern Vampire Mysteries/Supernatural crossover. read them, review them, follow them. _

_And as always, review and let me know what you think, what you want to see, or your predictions of what is going to happen. But be aware, there may be a few twists. _


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